Senator Judd Gregg

A friend claims he's quoting Mark Twain when he says, "I'm having a hard time hearing what you are saying because your actions are so loud."

Whoever said it, it applies to Senator Judd Gregg's warm and thoughtful statement explaining his withdrawing his name from consideration as Commerce Secretary.

There are two actions which are part of the backstory to his accepting the nomination that lead to a third thing that I hope someone can check out.

1. I understand Sen. Gregg was concerned about having something to do in 2010 when he was pretty sure he would be retiring from the Senate. (He has since confirmed he does not plan to run then.) I can see that as a crucial motive for Gregg's earnest petitioning of the Obama administration for the Commerce job.

2. He obtained a promise from the Democratic governor that the appointee to the Senate to replace Gregg would be a Republican or Gregg would not accept the Commerce position. Word came out that the appointee would be Gregg's chief of staff.

What I want to know is, has someone come forward with a position for Sen. Gregg when he retires from the Senate that is more to his liking than working for the President?

Others have already compared Gregg's politicking around this nomination to that of Illinois Governor Blogojevich. That's why it is particularly important to find out if Gregg did get another job offer. We may not find out until he retires in two years. But I will watch, if only out of curiosity.

I can easily imagine the whole scene was a ploy to get a better job for his retirement, what with the grief his Republican colleagues put him through, something he knew would happen. It is easy to imagine that he was waiting for the one Republican who would offer him a job he would not refuse. And he would not have any guilt about it, any more than ex-Gov. Blogojevich had.

Update: Daily Kos has quite an extensive article connecting Sen. Gregg to Jack Abramoff. See it at

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/13/32013/1373/707/696949

I hope future vetting, particularly of Republican nominees for Cabinet posts, for connections with Mr. Corruption. Oh yes, and also Democrats . . . .

And I am still hoping someone can find out if he now has a job to which he will go in 2010.